even though king RAVEN was a learn ed SHIVA bhagat, why we look at him as a symbol of evil ?

Answer 1

Ravana may be great in whatever he may have achieved, but he failed in conquering himself and was a slave of his desires and senses and very egoistic and self centered, power crazy, greedy... which are the qualities of a evil being.

Hence HE is embodiment of Evil.

Only in his death bed he discovered his vanity.

Answer 2

Ravana was a very great king & a highly learned man. But, don't learned people commit mistakes? His only mistake was that he kidnapped Sita & he paid for it by his life. Can you imagine Ramayana without him? Lord Rama owes His greatness to Ravana. The good cannot be extolled or praised if there's no evil to counter it.

Ravana is taken as a symbol of evil because of his 'Ahankaar' - Ego. Ego can be subdued only through Humility, and Lord Rama is said to be a 'Maryaada Purushottama' - Humblest of all men.

But, I really don't know from where the practice of burning Ravana's effigies on Dussehra originated? It amounts to Brahma-Hatya - a heinous crime as per Hindu culture. Even Lord Rama had to perform penance & sacrifice after killing Ravana, as he was a Brahmin - a highly evolved soul.
I really pity the ignorant minds who do this - 'coz, Dussehra is the occasion to burn the Ravana within i.e. to win over all our negative qualities & become humble like Sri Rama.

Moreover, the moral here is that, no amount of learning or huge achievement can buy you Greatness. Greatness is achieved only through Righteousness.

Answer 3

Because he tried to develop a new "RAKSHA SANSKRUTI" which allows the basic bad instincts like "KAMA, KRODHA, LOBHA & MOHA" as right ful 'karmas' . He Also acted against the rightfull Karmas and give all the problems to the Rishis & Munis by using his bad power. Ravan though he was a shiva bhagtha he acted against the goodness of the living things and the earth thats why he was treated as the symbol of evil

Answer 4

Ravan was a demon. Many demons worship Shiva to gain material opulence's, because Lord Shiva easily gives benedictions to those who chant his name and do penance for him. Why because he doesn't want to be bothered, because he is so absorbed in his Meditation on Lord Vishnu, Rama and Krisha, So he quickly gives the benediction to get rid of the materialistic Berger. Sometimes he does not consider what the person will do with those mystic powers and sidhis. We can see many demons in the past did their austerities to Lord Shiva and he gave them what they wanted. So just because one worships Lord Shiva doesn't make them a saint or good. They may have ill motives as did Demon Ravan. He wanted to concur even the Supreme Lord Vishnu and lord Shiva in the end. Shiva is easily pleased and easily angered.

Answer 5

Yes .Ravana was a great SIVA Bhaktha and avery well learned Scholar,being the descendent of sri.Kapila Muni(sri.Agasthya's own brother sri.Pulastya's son).The methodology codified by Ravana to recite Saaman(one of the 3 Vedham) is only followed even today (July 20th 2007).But he coveted another man's wife,when she was resisting the very thought. In Indian jurisprudence adultry is considered more severe crime than even rape.Ravana had to pay the price for his Karma .Even the Supreme God can not and should Not help a Crimnal.Then Dharma Brashtam will prevail in Society.

P.S:- The Dwara Paalakas(Gate Keepers) of sri.Vishnu--sri.Jaya and sri.Vijaya taking three human forms,because of Lord's curse- First as Hiranyaaksha and Hiranya Kasipu---second as Ravana and Kumbakarna --third as Sishupala and Jarasandha-and later assuming their original charge- is all Pauraanic in very very later years--not in the original Ramaayana

Answer 6

Hi Sanat ,

First of all its Ravan or Rawan and NOT Raven .

The representation of ‘Gods’ is on the premise of pure worship as ultimate Truth. Nevertheless within this category of Gods Srinivasan includes the binary opposition of demons namely Ravana.

The Gods take on various avatars as Muruga and Rama, or he is conceptually signified as a Lingam. In addition Siva is also represented in his manifestation of a destroyer performing his tandava.


The vindictive act of Ravana is reinforced by the abduction and captivity of Sita by Ravana.

His Ego and proudness brought him down although he was one of the most lernead person , one of the biggest devout this earth has ever had .

Jai Sri Ram

Answer 7

Ravan committed the crime of kidnapping Mother Sita and separating Her from Lord Rama. He also assaulted Lord Rama and Lord Laxmana through Naga-Pasha (serpent-noose) and Sakti-sela weapon either directly or through his criminal sons. Offences against Lord Vishnu or His devotees are unpardonable crimes. Even Lord Shiva does not help such a criminal.

Answer 8

i personally do not view him that way. I read somewhere that RAVANA was one of the gatekeepers of the abode of vishnu. One day for his negligence Vishnu wanted to punish him , he gave RAVANA two choices :

1; Be born on earth for 7 times as a great learned saint and a great beliver of me or
2. Be born on earth 3 times as a great demon who results in the wiping out of the entire demon clan of his time.

The gatekeeper did not want to spend much time away from his master and thus he opted for the second option.

So in his first incarnation he became Harniyakashyapa , in the second he became RAVANA and in the third he was Sishupala.

In all the three incarnations he carried out his duty, so i dont see him as a symbol of evil atall

Answer 9

Raavan misused the boons given to him by Lord Shiva.... And so hes evil.

Answer 10

in modern times kidnapping is a crime even if its done by a learned minister,he will be put behind bars as a criminal,this also applied to ravan in those times and termed as evil becoz he kidnapped sita[ramas wife]